Minutes of the Consultative Committee
November 17, 2006
Present: Nancy Carpenter, Brad Deane, Pam Gades, Roland Guyotte (chair),
LeeAnn Hedquist, Judy Korn, Margaret Kuchenreuther, Maggie Larson, Theresa
McMenomy, Bonnie Tipcke, Jennifer Zych-Herrmann
Guest: Mary Elizabeth Bezanson
Chair Guyotte called the meeting to order at 3 p. m. and introduced
Theresa McMenomy, newly elected student member.
Mary Elizabeth Bezanson discussed the work of the Constitution Revision
Task Force, a group of 12 which has been at work since February. It held
the first of two public forums yesterday, employing a small-group
discussion format, and will conduct another one November 29. By next
semester, the group expects to have a writing group at work. Members
questioned Professor Bezanson about issues raised in the Committee. She
referred to a "power struggle between administration and Assembly," a
perceived lack of idea exchange in the Assembly owing to a power shift to
committees, and a duplication of effort. A central question has been one
of practice vs. policy, whether the Constitution is at fault or practice.
Two other issues surfaced during this discussion: a perceived pay
inequity unfairly Humanities faculty and concern about an alleged creeping
dismemberment of one of UMM's academic majors. The Committee concluded
that the pay issue lay within the purview of the Faculty Affairs
Committee, and the chair will write a letter to that effect. Considerable
discussion followed about dismantling a major by attrition, without formal
action by the Curriculum Committee, the Campus Resources and Planning
Committee, or the Assembly. The chair will draft and bring to the next
meeting a letter for the Curriculum Committee and the Humanities Advisory
Committee.
Following Professor Bezanson's departure, Committee members expressed
concern about the level of consultation in the just-completed program
review process. Members worried that the reports of individual units
have been truncated by unit administrators on the way to Behmler Hall.
The chair agreed to write the Chancellor and Interim Dean expressing this
concern.
The chair briefly reported to the Committee on the subject of review of
administrators, following his meeting with Sarah Mattson and Chancellor
Johnson. Changing University practice is recorded on the Human Resources
page of the website with respect to review of Deans and annual performance
appraisals of Professional Staff. UMM still expects to periodically
review Associate Vice Chancellors and above, with Lowell Rasmussen and
Sandy Olson Loy scheduled for review this year. Less clear is the status
of periodic reviews of Directors.
The meeting adjourned at 4:10 p. m.